To reproduce the shockwave of a launcher on take off, the University of Poitier's Martel* test bench is being adapted for the generation of acoustic transient phenomena... An Ariane 5 take-off creates an extremely powerful shockwave... When the Ariane 5 launcher's two massive solid fuel thrusters fire up, the sudden release of combustion gases creates an extremely powerful shockwave
A first firing was carried out in January 2011, at ONERA Fauga Mauzac centre, using the 1/35 scale model of an Ariane 5 P230 booster specifically developed to display the phenomenon of shockwaves during lift off. This successful campaign will continue with acoustic measurement tests on a simplified 1/35 scale model of the ELA-3 launch pad
In the wind tunnel, Mach waves and shockwaves could be visualized around the model... This technique is a useful method to understand shockwave arrangements around some complex model
Research on aerodynamics was related to wing calculation, to swept wings and stabilizers for supersonic flight and to the interaction between shockwaves and boundary layers on the wings in transonic flight. Applied research provided manufacturers with a veritable catalogue of results on aircraft components: fuselage shapes, wing profiles, air intakes, side control devices, etc